WDC responds to diamond focused Amnesty International report

The World Diamond Council (WDC) has issued a statement in response to the recently published report by Amnesty International focusing on the global diamond supply chain and the Central African Republic.

In its statement, the WDC urges Amnesty International to engage with the Kimberley Process (KP) and work together with the KP participating governments, the industry and the Civil Society Coalition of the KP to achieve the goal of zero conflict in the rough diamond supply chain.

Read the full statement here:

Story continues below

Advertisement

“As the representative organization of the global diamond and jewellery industry at the Kimberley Process, the World Diamond Council (WDC) is the first to agree that there is more work to be done when it comes to managing the global diamond supply chain. While the vast majority of diamonds contribute a significant benefit to the countries in which they’re produced, as an industry we are committed to staying the course until we reach the goal of zero conflict diamonds.

“We welcome the recommendations in the Amnesty International report and are working together as an industry in full support of the goal of zero conflict. In addition, governments must assert their control in mining areas and along their borders to prevent smuggling.

However, the Amnesty International report ignores the careful and conscientious framework being put in place in CAR. Interim arrangements regarding future CAR diamond exports and green export zones have been approved by the Kimberley Process and the Civil Society Coalition of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, who have in addition commissioned an outside company to audit the stockpile.

“We also applaud the Antwerp Diamond Office’s strict control mechanism for each import or export of diamonds. Their close monitoring led to the interception and seizure in 2014 of two shipments containing rough diamonds from the Central African Republic. This is an example of our members’ commitment to ensuring the integrity of the industry.

“Amnesty International has been a member of the Civil Society Coalition of the Kimberley Process in the past. We invite them to participate by re-engaging with the Civil Society Coalition. We will continue to encourage the industry, governments, the UN, and NGOs to work together to improve the Kimberley Process and the international monitoring of the process, so that the goal of zero conflict diamonds can be achieved.”